A coalition of nine opposition political parties in Nigeria has strongly condemned a Federal High Court ruling in Abuja that dissolved the National Working Committee (NWC) of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and invalidated the presidential nomination of Atiku Abubakar for the 2027 general elections.
The judgment, delivered on Thursday, removed the NWC led by Senator David Mark and struck down Atiku Abubakar’s candidacy for the January 16, 2027 presidential poll. In a statement issued by Salihu Lukman, the Coalition for Democracy described the court’s decision as a "dangerous escalation" of what it alleges is a campaign against opposition forces ahead of the next general election.
The coalition, an offshoot of the G-100 group, includes the ADC, Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA), National Rescue Movement (NRM), Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Social Democratic Party (SDP), and Youth Progressives Party (YPP). The group stated that the ruling adds a "new and disturbing urgency" to its recent warnings regarding the shrinking of democratic space in the country.
"When opposition parties are attacked on the streets, frustrated by state institutions, and threatened with elimination through judicial pronouncements, Nigerians must ask whether the ruling party still intends to face any meaningful opposition at the ballot box," the coalition stated.
While asserting its respect for the independence of the judiciary and the right of aggrieved parties to seek legal redress, the coalition warned that courts must not become instruments for extinguishing political competition. The statement argued that those seeking to destroy opposition parties to guarantee their own victory are threatening the very foundations of the Republic, noting that a government unable to tolerate opposition has lost the moral authority to claim to be democratic.
The coalition further cautioned that when a government becomes more afraid of the opposition than it is accountable to the people, democracy itself is in danger. It emphasized that no democracy can remain peaceful when citizens are denied meaningful political alternatives, concluding that the ballot must remain the primary battlefield of democracy and that no party should achieve through institutional manipulation what it fears it cannot achieve through the votes of Nigerians.
<small>Source: The Sun Nigeria — read the original story there.</small>
